Not Some Holiday Camp
by BookWorm1357
Summary: A new enemy is on the horizon, and Alexis Rider realizes that she really can't get a break. Sent of to the SAS camp Brecon Beacons, Alex learns that it's not just some holiday camp. Fem!Alex. ((HIATUS.))
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- I own nothing, only the plot is mine.**

Alexis Helen Rider's glare was unforgiving as it sent its powerful rays towards the man known as Alan Blunt.

_If looks could kill, _She thought murderously. _Then Alan Blunt would be rotting away in hell. _

The head of MI6 remained emotionless, unfazed by her hostility. He was used to this, many have come in this office like that, and most went out limply dragging their feet across the carpet. Even if he wasn't bothered, however, for once in her lifetime, the woman standing stiffly beside the desk was. Today, strangely there was a vague smile from this woman, but Alex still knew she was still running from the clutches of the agency. It was a façade to draw you in, if only Alex had pieced together this puzzle earlier. The 'Good cop, bad cop' comparison was as close to knowing the truth as you would get, them being probably some of the most secretive people in the world of espionage, and that was saying something.

She had once again been called into the office at an early time, and to say she was annoyed would have been an understatement.

'Good morning, Alex. I hope you slept well.' Was the reply, it was a mix between pleasant and smug. It made Alex shake with anger; of course she hadn't slept well. That little...

'What do you want, Blunt?' She growled like a lioness, her eyes probing his lifeless ones for answers, even though she already knew, she willed it not to be true. Another mission so soon would be horrible; her last one left her with two bullet wounds, to the leg and stomach. Then you add the emotional trauma, so surely Blunt wasn't that heartless.

Even the emotionless life form was slightly disturbed by her resentment

'Alex, uh -were sending you back too...' He coughed lightly, not looking directly into her eyes, and glanced nervously at Ms Jones, somehow Alex missed this sign of reassurance from the said lady. Blunt ignored the teenage girls glare before continuing. 'You're being sent off to a training camp to improve your skills and reflexes.' Even Blunt knew that this was a total deception, she would see through it for sure. She was the best after all; as much as he hated to admit it, it left lots of room for error in the field. Also, it gave her bragging rights, which really annoyed him.

He heard Alex snort, and could tell she saw through his lie.

'I want the truth, Blunt. I wasn't woken at 4:30am to be lied to, and quite frankly you need to improve on your acting skills. Even that butterfly on that spindly plant could probably see through your tiny-' She held one hand up and put her thumb and finger close together, with only a millimetre between them. '-lie. The truth, please, otherwise it's a goodbye from me.' That's the infamous Alex Rider rant, heard by many, understood by few. Heard mostly by the head of MI6, Alan frickin' Blunt.

The one on the retrieving side of this reply decided to get to the point.

'Becorbria,' Blunt said boldly. As if this was something everybody should know about, like it was an equivalent of Satan. The word didn't mean anything to Alex, and she didn't give even half a damn. She stared confused straight ahead.

'What?' She muttered blankly. 'I'm gonna need more information, you know.' she glanced at Ms. Jones. The woman looked slightly troubled today, crumpled suit, messy hair, she looked a mess, but frankly why was she even here? It isn't like she was needed. It didn't look like she had anything to contribute. Emotional support maybe? But since when did Blunt need that. Ms Jones opened her mouth widely, as if to say something.

'Becorbria is an organization made up by members of the disbanded Snakehead and Scorpia-' Ms Jones explained.

_And I stand corrected. _She _is _here for a reason.

'-which all of the members seemingly appear to have a personal grudge against you.' Alex remained unfazed, annoyed, but unfazed.

'What makes them more important than any other organization I pissed-'

'Language!' reprimanded Ms Jones, shocked. Alex ignored her, she didn't care about swear words anymore, when you have had the blood of your loved one dripping through for fingers once, it becomes a vague problem, to her anyway.

'-off?' She finished. Looking squarely into the firm, but warm, gaze of Ms. Jones, as if trying to scold her. The question remained in the atmosphere, and this time it was the ever blank Blunt who supplied the answer.

Even the head looked troubled, 'Well, uh-they seem to be planning something that quite possibly her will change the world. Or, at least England...' He trailed of, looking down t his hands like they were the most amazing and spectacular thing ever. Alex raised one eyebrow suspiciously, what on earth was he nervous about. But it couldn't mean..?

'Bomb,' she stated. Blunt wasn't surprised by this startling correct assumption. He was the master of deception and espionage. However, it was the deputy that added even more to the dread that was building up inside Alex's stomach.

'Nuclear,' Ms Jones added helpfully, and tried, and failed, not to wince when the teenager whipped her head around like lightning. How she avoided getting whiplash was a mystery to her.

'This must be some kind of sick joke. Because if it is, you are some very sick bastards, this is probably just some bad excuse to get me onto a suicidal mission...' The full effects of what Blunt had said earlier seemed to dawn on her; she gulped and averted her eyes away from Blunt's. 'I'm not being sent on a mission am I?' She asked fearfully. Shit. They sure were crazy bastards, born in hell and molten lava.

'No, Alex. You're not,' It was Ms Jones taking the lead now. Her soothing voice did nothing to penetrate Alex's walls. It only added more tension, made her façade stronger than ever.

_If Ms Jones is being nice, then it must be true,_ Alex thought, dreadfully.

'Uh-what is happening then,' she asked curiously. If it's not a mission, then it must be some form of protection. What on earth could it be?

'Brecon Beacons, Alex, that one camp will be your lifeline, your protection, your one hope.' Ms Jones face grew weary and tired all of a sudden, aging by years in that one sentence. Alex felt like a rock had sunk to the pit of her stomach. Not Brecon Beacons..

_Woah, bit too serious aren't you. _Unknown to her_, _Alex unconsciously said her mocking thoughts.

'Yes, Alex, this is a very serious matter, and if you don't realise this soon enough then perhaps we shouldn't even bother! Learn some respect Alex, your mature enough to understand that. If your parents learnt that key emotion, then maybe they'd still be alive!' Now Alex had seriously pissed of Ms Jones, and like a pair of ever falling dominoes, Blunt fell with her. They were both livid withrage.

But then and again, maybe Jones shouldn't have said that about Alex's parents. She now had a very annoyed Alex; actually annoyed would have been an understatement. Fuming is better. Her glare was as bright as the sun, boring holes into the poor woman, who stood trembling with fear-earlier it was anger. It is quite astonishing what power Alex could harness and release in her eyes.

'Maybe Jones, if you shut your large mouth, then there wouldn't be a recurring accident that might magically occur. You're a heartless bitch, you know that?' Alex smirked at the shocked expression o the secretary's face before continuing. 'My parents knew what they were doing, and who they were doing it for. Unlike you, you seem to think that you're head boss around here. If anyone deserves respect, it's me! Where's my recognition, 'cause I don't see it!' Motioning frantically with her hands, Alex's voice escalated in pitch and loudness. The words echoed and bounced around the empty room, filling the occupant's ears.

Alex abruptly stood pushed the chair away roughly with her foot, which made a low scarping noise, and walked, silently fuming towards the door. The tension in the room was and tense; an army knife specifically modified for combat use couldn't cut it. Jones was shocked by the transformation of Alex, calm and collected to dangerous and lethal-her world took a turn for the worst, maybe they shouldn't have messed with her privacy and life. But it was too late for regrets now, the damage was done.

'Oh yes, one more thing.' She said calmly, her back still facing them, posture straight: 'What unit will I be placed in?' The head and secretary exchanged looks.

'L,' Blunt said curiously, his facial expression was back to its usual self; masked and dangerous. 'Why?'

'No reason,' Alex said as she silently opened the door. 'No reason at all,' she murmured, before slipping outside onto the corridor, leaving two very confused people in her wake.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N- I own nothing, only the plot is mine.**

Alex stepped silently about of the still vehicle, which had previously been driving the boring and uneventful journey deep into the heart of Wales. She was immediately alert, surveying her surrounding area.

There was a downpour of rain in every direction, small barracks dotted here and there, obviously unceremoniously placed, and couple of fit looking men in camouflage jogged passed, paying no attention to the vehicle behind her. Maybe new arrivals were a regular thing; maybe her coming wouldn't be much of a remarkable occurrence.

_Yeah, right. _She thought, sarcastically. _It's like a fox cub entering the Lion's den. Definitely not gonna get noticed are we. _

As feeble as she may look, Alex was not that, in fact she was the opposite. Determination, tactic and lethalness ruled her world; you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, however, the soldiers may not know that.

She walked alertly over to the boot and lifted the hood to grab her bag. Stepping aside to avoid the dirt spray from the van, she noticed that by now she had attracted a few stares from the fellow soldiers, so she hurried her pace to her cabin. She sighed softly, and with a light smile on her face, walked over towards the most homely place in camp; approximately two-hundred metres inwards. Kicking her hard shoes against the gravel, she mused why Jones had told her to walk directly to L-units cabin, instead of doing standard procedure and heading over towards the sergeant's office.

It didn't matter to her though.

Alex shifted her bag to her left shoulder; the pressure on her right had become painful with the twenty pound kit and her personal items as she walked the last couple of metres with dread, if the impression she got last time was anything to go by, then this interaction was not going to be pretty.

She cautiously opened the door, peering inside she sighed with relief when she was met with curious faces. Two were playing a game of Uno; and the third was polishing his gun with relish. Alex slipped inside and closed the door behind her smiling slightly at the shocked gazes; she finally had a chance to fully scan them.

They seemed to be clear of any knives, and the one weapon was the Ak.47 which was still in the process of being cleaned, no ammunition was entered and their faces were welcoming and warm. Alex deemed them as only a thirty percent threat.

One of the men that were playing Uno stood up and walked over towards her, 'Hello gorgeous, I'm monkey and you are?' He asked coyly, winking at her. Alex now deemed them as a thirty-five percent threat; she was not a good one for flirting. Alex walked over, side stepping around the muscled SAS man and placed her bag gently on her bed. She turned gracefully back to monkey.

'Well, hi Monkey,' she returned the coy smile, 'Hate to break it to you, but I'm not interested.' She put extra emphasis onto not, as if to further annoy her new unit-mate. Monkey looked slightly disheartened but continued nonetheless, putting on his most appealing smile; he strode back over to Alex.

'How about a hug?' he said, motioning with his arms. 'There's nothing wrong with a bit of sugar, is there?' Alex looked up at him and smiled gorgeously,

'Fine,' she said, Monkey missed the sly look that appeared on her expression, and by the time he looked back at her, it had gone.

Taking the one step towards her Monkey opened his arms and leant forward, the next thing that happened shocked him so much, and if it already hadn't, it would have taken the breath out of him. Alex had sidestepped nimbly avoiding his welcoming arms, and flipped him roughly so he landed clumsily onto his back, the air left his lungs with a loud gasp and the other two unit mates cracked up into breathless laughter. Alex smirked and kneeled down gracefully next to him, she lowered her head down to his neck, and her hot breath made him shiver involuntarily.

'I said I wasn't interested,' she murmured, her lips brushing against his ear, 'I really don't think my boyfriend would appreciate your little flirt attempts either.' Monkey's eyes widened with disbelief, but what were the chances of her boyfriend being someone important or authoritative, he could be any random bloke. Well, that's what he hoped anyway.

'B-b-boyfriend,' he managed to gasp out with shock. This hadn't really gone as he had planned.

'Oh yes, you heard right, boyfriend,' she smiled sweetly, even though it was a complete and utter deception, it certainly was entertaining. Everybody needs some fun in their life, right? 'He's a corporal in the 22 SAS, and he wouldn't be very pleased with this...interaction.' She took one second to glance at the poor man's expression, and gave him a smug smile. 'You alright, darling, you look a little pale?'

Monkey nodded his head quickly, trying to block out his fellow mates laughter. Monkey now finally understood he was in dangerous territory, and that he better get out. This girl was out of bounds by far.

_22 SAS...Corporal...I have officially signed my death sentence, _a_nd I thought Wolf from K-unit was bad enough; I have just been terrified by a damn girl in fewer than five minutes! _He thought fearfully.

'Good, thank you for understanding Monkey,' she smiled sweetly; but he know knew it was all a façade that smile, the words, everything. Pushing of into a standing position, she turned and sat gently onto her bed, disturbing her thin bed sheet.

One of the men spoke up boldly and introduced himself: 'Hey, my name's Adder, and from what I saw in that interaction,' Adder gestured towards Monkey, who was still on the cold floor in shock, 'we're gunna get 'long jus' fine.' He smiled warmly, and Alex returned the favour; her eyes crinkled at the edges, and Monkey found it just added to her looks.

_Wait a second..._ She thought suspiciously.

Alex raised her eyebrows; this man seemed partially familiar to her...He reminded her of someone, who she just couldn't pin down.

'Have I ever met you...' she queried, intrigued. Adder shook his head, which made his ginger hair flop to the side. He looked confused.

'No,' he said, his voice contained a hint of a Scottish accent, his eyes were amused. 'Why?' He tilted his head to the side, his eyes searching hers for an answer. Alex shook her head, and Adder saw the transformation of curiosity to disbelief in her eyes.

'Just...actually don't worry,' she said quickly, as if shocked. Her eyes widened with recognition and she looked thoroughly annoyed, she couldn't get a break could she?

She had to be in the same unit as Snake's brother.

Adder had just opened his mouth to reply when a loud crash from her left startled her out of her wits, whipping her head round she saw that in his haste Monkey had managed to actually knock over his cot. What the hell, was he actually stupid?

Alex sighed heavily and glanced over at the two men who looked like they were battling their own subconscious on whether to throttle the man (who had the maturity of a child, how did he even get into the army?) or simply leave him to it. They chose the latter, it took less work.

'Is he always like that?' she grinned, the two men looked up at her voice. The scot nodded his head in distaste and the other finally decided to offer his voice to her.

'Eh-pretty much, it's a regular thing in this unit,' he explained, watching Monkey manage to get up onto his feet. 'You have to get used to it-the last unit mate asked to move, and even Sarge had to sympathise with him.' He laughed in unison with Alex, and they grinned simultaneously.

Alex looked squarely into his expression and smiled, but this time it wasn't part of her façade. 'I'll make sure to keep that in mind, thanks...' She raised her eyebrows pointedly, motioning lazily for him to finish the sentence; she pressed her lips into a thin line.

'Tiger,' he said in his low voice, lips stretched into a lazy smile. 'My name's Tiger.'

'Nice to meet you Tiger, and thanks for the warning about the problem you call 'Monkey'. She winked cheekily.

'No worries,' His smile grew wider, and Tiger's hazel eyes crinkled at the edges.

Alex looked down at her watch; black waterproof material (who knew when you were going to be deployed somewhere wet?) and stretchy elastic. She stood gracefully and stretched with a yawn, then walked over to the door, it was time to meet the ever forbidding Sergeant. Just as she reached the door she heard Adder call out, 'What is your name-I didn't catch it?'

Alex smiled, 'Cub,' She said, 'its Cub.'

She opened the door silently and closed it behind her, leaving for men staring in awe after her.

She sure left an impression.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N- I own nothing, only the plot is mine.**

Alex treaded lightly across the floor of her cabin, being careful not to wake her Unit mates, the meeting with the Sergeant had gone rather well, better than expected as Alex now was seventeen years of age. Sighing softly she peeled back the thin sheet and crawled underneath into the sanctuary of warmth, cursing when she banged her elbow into onto the bedside table, hard. Fortunately for her, this woke no one up. Alex reckoned this was because they were accustomed to Monkey's loud snoring, which, being a spy, Alex didn't do. It made unnecessary noise which could alert the enemy to your location. Being intellectual and tactful was the key.

Alex turned onto her side, trying to block out any back ground noise. She was exhausted and her bullet wounds from her most recent mission had started to throb painfully, she contemplated waking Adder up to ask for his assistance, but decided against it, it could wait until morning.

Pulling the sheet up to her chin, she closed her eyes and drifted off into a twisted delusion, created by the dark depths of her mind...

Alex stared at the lifeless body in her arms, the blood erupting like lava form its chest and felt tears pricking at her eyes. The gunshot wound was at point blank range, there was no way the assassin would have missed. She felt a bead of liquid create a wet path down her cheek, before it dropped onto her lap.

'Why?' She whispered, her tears were spilling over her lids, anger and guilt created them small specks of liquid. 'Why did you do it, listen to me now. Why?' Her voice escalating with pitch, she was getting desperate. Alex was shaking and trembling with remorse, the head cradled in her lap remained still, and not even Alex's tears could awake him. Her face was strained, and her eyes were rimmed with red. She felt useless, there was nothing she could do, and she had to watch his death, the seconds ticking by. All hope she had had been lost in the flurry of tears, emotion overpowering her senses. Guilt overpowering sanity...

She watched tearfully as her surrogate father, Ben Daniels, took his last breath. His eyes were wide open and she used her nimble fingers to gently close them, she done it tenderly and lovingly. The blood covering her limp hands was dripping through her fingers like water; but this water was the color of death, and made her show her true colours. Shaking she took one look around the room, and spied the dead assassins gun laying on the concrete floor, picking it up, she realised it was slick with blood, and she studied it closely. Alex took a shaky breath, and managed to control her sobbing.

_No one would miss you, Alex. Ben was all you had left, now he's dead and lifeless like everyone that got close to you_, the sadistic part of her mind urged her one. _It's your entire fault; you're the one to blame..._

Placing the gun to her head, her face blank, she steadied her hand, (_Do it_, the voice urged) held her breath, and pulled the trigger...

Alex woke up drenched with sweat, visibly trembling with fear, and felt her tears trickling down her face like streams. Somehow the rest of the unit had managed to sleep through the first part of her emotional tirade.

_Ben's alive, Alex. Remember, you visited him in hospital a couple of nights ago. Ben's alive. _Alex kept repeating inwardly, her tears creating paths down her cheeks. She was an emotional wreck; thinking about the only significant person in her life dying sure wasn't nice, and she really didn't know where the suicidal part of her came from. It worried her; it was bad to contemplate issues like that.

Alex glanced over at her clock; it was 3:00am and the adrenaline was going to keep her awake for sure, so she decided to go on a walk and get some air, her forehead was boiling and her heart was still slightly faster then it's usual pace. Quietly, she slipped out of bed and trod to the door, preparing herself for the cold gust of wind. Opening the door silently she slipped outside, glanced at her unit's peaceful expressions, smiled, and left, creating a small breeze in her wake.

It was approximately thirty calm minutes before Alex encountered anybody, and when she did it was not the one person she wanted to see. Alex was just walking past the empty mess hall when she saw the least mature member of her old unit, Eagle, sitting by a tree. Her breath caught in her throat and she stumbled back behind the wall, breathing heavily. Alex had no clue whatsoever to why she was behaving like this, K-Unit were going to find out she was here anyway, so why was she avoiding Eagle? There was no point really.

It seemed like her subconscious managed to take control of her body, as all her efforts were in vain when she tripped and landed on her wrist, crying out in pain she alerted the soldier to her presence. Eagle jerked his head up in surprise, caught sight of Alex and rushed over urgently to help.

But the recognition only occurred when he fully saw the blondes face, Eagle's own expression was a mixture of shock and confusion, although Alex was surprised to see no anger. His lips transformed into a thin line as he concentrates on her injury.

However, even in a daze he helped her. His lips transformed into a thin line as he concentrated on her injury, his eyes narrowed. Gently lifting up her wrist, and muttering a quick apology when she winced, he examined it silently. Alex didn't know he knew any single aspect, concept or information about medicals. It was common knowledge he was the sharpshooter of the unit, the best in camp according to rumours.

'Hey Eagle,' Alex smiled weakly, her face slightly pained with the pressure on her wrist, 'fancy seeing you here, eh?' Eagle looked faintly amused at her terrible tries at humour. When he smiled his green eye crinkled at the edges.

'Actually Alex, I think it's the other way round,' he teased playfully, very much aware of Alex's eyes fixed on his face. 'Why are you here?' He asked curiously, turning Alex's hand over, and muttering another apology when she gasped our in pain.

The receiver of the question was then about to reply, but was cut short by a burst of pain shot like a firework up her arm. Gasping in pain she grabbed her wrist roughly, which only made the pain worse. Eagle was only then about to ask what was wrong when he realised with dread that Alex had disturbed the broken wrist, and caused the bone to move painfully and jut out of the skin. The teenager's skin was pale and taut, with blood pumping out at a rapid pace; Eagle had never seen anything like it, not even Wolf's leg wound in Iraq, which was pretty bad.

It took Eagle approximately twenty seconds to realise that Alex had blacked out, the blood had created a puddle on the floor now, and he knew that he didn't have the knowledge or materials to fix her wrist. Sighing, he glanced down at the girl with a smile etched onto his features, and picked her up gently into his arms.

_Alex is going to kill me for this later. _

Before jogging a relatively fast pace to the hospital he wondered why she was here, not knowing what journey Alex had ahead of her.

The blonde was losing blood, fast, and Eagle didn't know how much she had left. Judging by the amount on the floor, and his blood soaked shirt, not much he assumed. She roughly lost two pints, and it didn't look like it was going to clot soon. Any more could be life threatening, and Eagle didn't even know how she had lost so much form her wrist, of all places!

Shifting Alex to his right arm, he shouldered open the door to the hospital and sighed in relief when he saw a collection of doctors and nurses approaching quickly. It was at that moment in time when he realised how much he cared for the teenager.

Alex was going to be ok. It was at that particular moment, with the bloodied Alex still in his arms, when Ben Daniels burst into the room, and the sharpshooter knew with dread it was interrogation time. Maybe even worse than the green jackets; and that was bad.

But what scared him shitless was the expression on his ex-unit mate's face, which made him feel like crawling into a metal shell and hide. Hide from the dangerous predator, with the murderous glare.

_At least it's not directed at me for once._ He though positively.

Then the spy turned to him, his face was pale and his facade of calm had been penetrated by anger.

_Then and again, maybe I spoke to soon. _Eagle gulped back fear. Ben's expression was terrifying, and hostile. Well, that was until he could fully comprehend the situation, and who the man in front of him was. Ben's mouth opened slightly as if the whole bloodied situation made sense.

'Eagle, what did you do to her?' Everyone could here the part exasperated tone in the man's voice, and everyone was shocked at the change of attitude.

'Nothing,' protested Eagle quickly, why did everyone believe that any type of mischief or error was related to him. He added another nothing for good measure when Ben raised his eyebrows accusingly, his stare less hostile.

'Of course you didn't.' He growled half-heartedly. Ben was more focused on Alex's wellbeing than the SAS man, his face worried, and his eyes wide with fear.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N- I own nothing, only the plot is mine.**

When Alexis Rider finally awoke, it was to the sounds of two angry men-one tall, and the other wearing blood soaked clothes- arguing with intense significance. Narrowing her eyes, she blinked a few times to adjust them to the new light, and stared in bewilderment at the figures.

Shifting to her right side slightly to get a better view of the men, she leaned onto her wrist, and gasped quietly out in unexpected pain-the two broad men didn't hear this over their quarrel. A small spark of pain erupted and spread up to the top of her pale forearm. Like a firework it started out small, than travelled upwards to explode into a burst of power. A small speck of deep blood surfaced onto her taut skin, making it pale and vulnerable. It felt like spilling boiling water onto her wrist with purpose. It reminded her of a time the same thing occurred to her at home, with Jack-

_No. Don't even think about Jack._Alex used her self-control to harness the emotions seemingly trying to force their way out. Her eyes filled to the brim with tears and she tentatively used the palm of her hand to brush them away, pushing the emotion with it.

Her wrist tingled ferociously with spite, and strangely so did her chest.

She contemplated help; should she, or not? Ignoring the burning pain she lifted her head us slightly; Blonde hair covering her deep brown eyes, and asked impatiently, her eyes misty with pure unshed tears: 'Can I have some help, please?' She breathed deeply, trying to make the pain fade.

Ben and Eagle stopped in mid clash, the spy's hand was in the air and his mouth was wide open like a dark tunnel. Alex giggled slightly - it was quite comical - and smiled at the men. Eagle got over his initial shock first - this surprised Alex, as Ben was the espionage expert-and was quickly beside her old cot. Recognition flared in her surroundings and she realised that her nursing home was a dusty barrack. Eagle's she assumed, glancing over at the bedside tables, which did not house any of L-units personal items, which she'd entered into her mental database.

'Alex, you're awake.' Eagle said happily, ignoring the confused looks being directed towards him; his eyes were bright with some unique emotion Alex hardly ever witnessed (Relief?). Alex looked at him, her pale lips curling up at the edges into a half grimace/smile; and her brown eyes twinkled with amusement; yellow specks dancing with delight.

'Really, Eagle. I never would've noticed,' she said quietly, her voice hoarse. Ben stood up silently and walked over to her; in his eyes Alex saw the intense relief and smiled as Alex attempted her feral grin to relieve him of worry.

'How are you?' He whispered softly, and Alex was honestly touched by this show of affection. And felt a surge of love towards the two men. Suddenly warmth spread up her body, which filled her veins and made her sigh involuntarily. She liked being cared for it seemed.

'I'm good. Thank you, Ben.' The words tumbled out of her mouth like a breeze of wind would carry a leaf. The words were an immediate response now, and even though it was done convincingly, Ben could see through her façade. But, he let the matter drop, and smiled faintly.

'So, what's the damage?' She asked curiously, after all, all she could remember was chunks and an faint outline of the situation. Ben and Eagle shared an anxious glance; it was like the reality of the occurrence suddenly dawned on them; and they didn't know what to say. It also appeared like they were having a mental debate; which Eagle lost. He turned back to Alex, and cleared his throat loudly.

'Um – well, according to '6, the only damage was your wrist,' he gestured stiffly at her bound hand, his eyes looked nervous, however they were also soft, 'but, that was not a sufficient amount to make you – um- faint. And I-it seems like you were bleeding a profuse amount from your c-chest area,' Alex shifted uncomfortably in her cot, very much aware of Eagle's eyes drawn to the area above her heart.

'Tell me it isn't,' he whispered, in a begging tone. 'Alex, just please tell me it's not...please?' He looked desperate and pleading; and Alex almost melted at his helpless look, but hardened her resolve. Well, she tried to; to clarify it didn't work.

Ben was staring at Alex's expression, analyzing every movement and emotion. He didn't seem to be happy; the atmosphere went very tense and thick, and Alex couldn't quite meet their apprehensive eyes. She was too scared. Scared of losing them because of her twisted background; the mess MI6 had made of her life.

Alex's eyes were shiny with pure salt tears; which didn't want to drop. She didn't want to drive them away, but they would know anyway.

'I'm sorry, but I can't say that.' She whispered, regretfully, 'Because that would be lying.' Ben leaned forward slightly and wrapped his frail arms around the teenager. It was really hard for Alex to restrain the tears from falling; but she couldn't; because that would leave her weak and defenceless.

Eagle's fists were clenched and held roughly by his sides; his eyes were hard and icy; his voice hard.

'Who did it,' he seethed, teeth clenched shut with anger, he looked intimidating; something Alex never thought he could be, and Alex leant across and placed her hand softly onto his arm, trying to appease him. His reaction was immediate; tense became calm, and his eyes turned back into their soft appearance.

''It's alright, I'm fine,' She reassured him, her voice soft like velvet, she tried to smile 'It isn't that bad, anyway-' But this proved to be the erroneous thing to say to the tense man. It made his blood turn into acid and boil.

'Not bad!' he roared, outraged to new lengths he didn't know existed, 'You were shot right beside the heart! How are you still alive? Tell me that, Alex. You should be dead, and thank god you are not!' His eyes were back to the cold state; they shone like polished crystals and looked murderous. Alex desperately reached out a hand, trying to convince him that everything was alright, and not drive him away like many others before him. But Eagle jerked away from the touch, took one look at the girl, and turned roughly. Alex was hurt by his resentment. Her eyes bored holes into his heaving back, and watched as he retreated from the room.

'Sometimes, Alex, It's good to ask for help. Remember that.' Eagle rested his hand on the door handle; took one glance back at the stunned girl on the cot, and left; slamming the door behind him, almost dislodging it roughly from its hinges; leaving it shuddering in his wake.

It was only now Alex turned back to Ben; whose brown eyes were deep in thought. 'What was that about?' She murmured, staring at the door. If only you could step out and it would solve all your deepest problems.

Her words snapped him out of the trance holding him captive. 'I really don't know, Alex. I really don't.' Alex sighed softly; why was everything so complicated. It just wasn't right.

'I mean, seriously; why was his reaction that bad. I mean,' she turned to look and analyze Ben's facial expression; it held the key, 'You didn't act like that did you?' She fiddled with the tattered hem of her shirt, her thoughts wandering to unknown lands.

Ben's voice brought her out of the depths though: 'I knew, Alex. That's why, because I knew; he didn't.'

She just stared, shocked into silence, her body rigid with suspicion.

'How...' Her tone was so quiet, it was barely audible and Ben struggled to hear.

Ben just shook his head, signifying not now. His eyes were concerned and weary; stress lines marked his features and adorned most of his handsome face. Alex just than realised the consequences of the actions; they were wearing down Ben to the bone. He was less youthful than most twenty-four year olds. Espionage changed him; sometimes change is good. This change wasn't.

'You're not okay,' she stated, examining him. 'You've changed since last time I saw you were more alive; you seem...dead.' Alex blinked away tears; everyone she cares about gets hurt or killed. She was an omen that shouldn't be alive; and if she weren't, Jack and many others would still be breathing. Not having their blood leaking way, taking their precious life with it. Life is a gift; so protect it. Reckless just kills you, and others you need.

Ben flinched at her touch; making Alex withdraw her reassuring hand quickly. The atmosphere suddenly went thick and dangerous. Alex felt isolated and bone weary, like some force was warning her to escape. It seemed nobody wanted her comfort; Eagle and Ben showed resentment at being touched; like she was diseased.

'I'm just going to go,' the words slipped out of her mouth; making Ben look up in un-disguised horror; he only just realised what his actions caused. It seemed like she was being controlled; like she was a robot programmed for orders. (_Run_, it urged_, nobody would care if you were gone_) She stood – grabbing onto the dusty cabinet when she stumbled involuntarily - and ran over to the door; laying her hand delicately over the knob, the smooth texture was unsettling for some strange reason, ('No! Alex, I didn't mean it like that!' Ben protested, horror-struck) and left, forcefully slamming the door behind her. She needed to escape; to just run from her problems.

So she did, quite literally.

She ran – and ran – ignoring all the shouts and mocking comments from passing acquaintances. She just ran, like her whole life depended on it.

She didn't care where she was going; she just continued to move, treasuring the rush of blood in her body, and the ability to just take pleasure in. It was moments like these Alex really appreciated the more solitary camp; she could run without raising gratuitous alarms.

Pumping her legs and arms in an uncoordinated beat calmed her; relaxed her even. The adrenaline rush made her feel alive, like she wasn't in Earth, but floating above the clouds.

She felt alive and needed. She wasn't isolated and deserted, but independent and alone by free-will.

The trees were a blur around her; the atmosphere light like oxygen; which she breathed in deeply, the aromas of the forest filled her nostrils. The natural scent was sweet; a mixture of berries and leaves. Of course she barely acknowledged this though; she was unstoppable.

She was in her own world; nothing could faze her; not even her recent encounter with the mistaken Ben.

But she'd let her guard down; her shield had been lowered.

This was a bad move. If she had maybe she had been more aware, she would have seen the metal-trap poking suspiciously from the ground; like some sort of mechanism.

But she had not been curious or suspicious. And actions have consequences, and this situation had serious consequences.

She was alerted by an ear-splitting high pitched ping sound of a metal contraption; she was abruptly pulled back with a jolt and fell onto a clumsy heap onto the frost floor, whacking her head onto the wooden stump; she looked uncertainly and dazedly at the ground; it was littered with pinecones and the autumn leaves.

There was nothing there out of the ordinary.

But when she looked to her right in puzzlement; she whimpered. Her leg was a bloodied mess, muscle tissue torn; ligaments ripped open into a mess of flesh; blood slopping out at a fast pace on its own accord. She was jammed into a bear-trap, and her leg was bleeding profusely. It was like her personal horror movie; where most would vomit at the gory scene; but enable to shield their eyes.

Which was exactly what was occurring to the teenager at this moment, she didn't have the will-power to tear her eyes away.

Then the pain spread and exploded with a burst of heat, like a fireball of fire; she felt her body start to spasm, and lose heat fast. The blood gushed form the wound, leaving Alex alone and unprotected from any dangers. The pain was overwhelming, leaving her gasping for wanted breathe that couldn't seem to come fast enough.

And for the second time in her life; she screamed; the sound echoing around the forest.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N- I own nothing, only the plot is mine.**

Eagle was abruptly shaken out of his musings by the sound of a painful scream erupting from the hills; startling him into a suspicious state of mind. His posture became rigid and alert; his mind going over into the various choice of his actions. But he knew that the danger was within the outback, and that the civilian (If one) was in trouble. The SAS are very careful and precise with their defences; most were any kind of explosive or even metal-traps; chosen to rip of chunks or flesh and to disarm them. It's fatal. Intruders don't stand a chance; and if given one, punishments are severe.

He made a snap decision. Locating the sound; he sprinted towards it, hoping he wasn't too late. And; hoping against the odds, that it wasn't who he thought it was. But, when was luck ever on his side.

The whimpers scared him; but it was the silence that closely followed that truly terrified him; but he held his fear in.

He was in mid-forest before he heard the first sign of life; a rustling to his left side. A quite whimper sounded; an eerie whimper, so soft and fragile. But, it soon subsided.

Eagle turned his nerves into steel; took a deep breath and peered through the bush; creating a small hole with his hands. As soon as the area was clear; the aroma of blood hit his sensitive nostrils. And the sight within made him gag; he felt the acid levels in his stomach rise a considerable amount. His green eyes widened like an Eagles as his mind pieced together the puzzle. Of course the figure had to be Cub. He leapt forward to help; unsure of how injured she was. And with dread if he was too late.

Alex woke to blinding light; shining from all directions and shining onto her face. She cupped her hands around her eyes to shield them from blindness, and enjoyed the motion of flexibility in her limbs. But the moment she tried to flex her leg the pain exploded; heat spread, and as she reached out to clasp it (somehow thinking it would stop the throbbing) her shin, her hand was wrenched away firmly by another warm calloused one. And – without even thinking about it – she squeezed the source of warmth like it was the only comfort she could find. The pain was strong (and so was the grip...) but it managed to fade to a dull ache, the blasting heat gone.

Her eyelids fluttered open; only to be closed almost immediately by the light. She sighed with relief to have the harsh pain gone; and slowly released the comfort of her companion; and a slight smile stretched across her pretty brown features.

'Cub,' a soft, reassuring voice murmured; and Alex could just hear the smile in his voice. 'You need to open your eyes if we want to get out of this forest.' Another twitching of lashes was all he got in mild annoyance; he would rather this than a wild glare that would faze anyone; even the havoc-maker Blunt.

'I don't want to move,' Alex whispered sleepily, almost as if she got tired by talking, 'I'm fine just here.' Her lips trembled slightly as she breathed; seemed every breath was an effort.

She looked so peaceful and docile just lying there. When the dark eyes were closed off from the light; she suddenly would look her age. And nobody should change that; and if he had anything to do with it, nobody would. The weird feeling spread once again across the man's chest; enveloping him in a thick layer of protectiveness.

'You have to move though,' he smiled contentedly as those beautiful brown orbs flickered open; their depth and deepness displayed openly. It didn't take long for them wandering eyes to scan the bushes; the thorns; aromas and noises. But soon they landed onto the handsome man in front of her; cradling her head and smiling brightly; his teeth shining in the sunlight. Her saviour was Eagle; the brown haired, green eyes camp-clown. And strangely she was so happy to see him.

But Alex just shook her head decisively. 'Fine then,' he smiled slyly, eyes twinkling dangerously, 'I'll have to do it the hard way then.' He kneeled down beside her, and shifted his weight onto his main foot. But the teenager knew what he was going to do, and was not going to let him do it.

Alex sat up quickly, very much aware of the few precious inches between them, and looked him directly into his sharp eyes. She was suspicious, and knew that Eagle was about to do something that he may regret further in life; no-one escapes the wrath of a Rider, absolutely no-one.

'What are you going to do,' she whispers, her grin looking feral. The suspicion still there, but less obvious, and Eagle swallowed, 'Because,' she says, her lips directly in front of his, making Eagle seemingly nervous, 'I don't take to the proposing of ideas without my consent very well.'

Eagle's breath got caught in his throat at how close this girl was. He too, was very aware of how close they were; so he decided to play at the same game. His eyes turned dangerous; and he inched his head a few centimetres forward towards Alex's lips. He smiled seductively; enjoying the girl he knows as Cub's nervousness.

'But,' he murmured, eyes trained on her face; analyzing her expression,' what if we both agree to what I'm proposing?' Alex could feel his warm breath on her lips; and she licked them quickly to rid them of dryness. She thought that maybe Eagle was onto an entirely different subject now; completely different to the previous one. But maybe she was enjoying this a little bit too much; he was only a friend, right? She shook this unappealing (Nice?) thought of quickly; of course he was only a friend.

'I guess there is that, though,' Alex smacked her lips together, as if thinking deeply, 'I don't know.'

She looked away quickly, pushing away certain thoughts; all based on Eagle.

'I do though,' Eagles voice snapped her back into reality, and her brown eyes flicked back to see Eagle's eyes focused on her plump lips. His breath blew across her neck, and she shivered involuntarily. 'I know what's right, I mean.' He smiled, and Alex let out a breath she'd been holding in. He leaned in; so now they were only a couple of millimetres apart; so close that he could smell Alex's honey shampoo. And he breathed in the scent.

Alex knew what was happening, but she was powerless to stop it. And, maybe she enjoyed being close, having human interactions. Life is about chances. So take one. And she leant in to fill the gap between them; her eyes glued to his.

Only to be interrupted by Ben Daniels, entering the dusty clearing.

They pulled away just in time to not arouse large suspicions, but their closeness confused the spy; whose boots shuffled across the ground approaching them quickly.

His eyes narrowed as he stared at them.

'What are you guys doing?' He asked his tone was accusing. He took in their deep breathing; nervousness and guilty expressions. Ben could feel the intense atmosphere; he knew something had happened between them. But, what?

The two exchanged worried glances.

'Nothing,' Eagle said, looking pointedly at the ground; as if blaming it for their situation, he scratched his back. 'Wasn't it Alex?' He gave a leading glance towards her, which Ben missed (Fortunately). It was almost like he expected her to give him away, and face Ben's angry rant about how Alex was not to be touched or her life interfered with. But she was not that heartless.

'Yeah,' she said, smiling reassuringly at her surrogate father. 'He's not lying.'

But Ben didn't believe her; nor did he believe the man facing the ground; with cheeks flushed and green eyes twinkling happily. Like he had just won the best thing you ever could. The ultimate prize, the best.

Alex was better at holding up a lie. But, in the heat of the moment she had let it gradually fall down. And Ben saw her happiness shine through; and it melted away his own problems. Making her happy was hard, but not impossible. Underneath she was fragile; but dangerous.

Ben knew something happened. And he knew he would soon find out.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N- I own nothing, only the plot is mine.**

It was only when Alex made a move to stand up, that Ben noticed the injury on her shin. It was poorly covered; with a bandage wrapped around tightly, making her skin look taut. Her lips were tinged blue, and trembling from the cold. Her hair was messy and hung around her shoulders in tangles of blonde; mud was splattered all the down her leg in trickles of – wait? As Ben inspected a little closer, his eyes flickered in recognition and his breath got caught in his throat. It wasn't mud; it was the now clotting stream of deep blood; which was seemingly appearing from nowhere. It liquid texture had now made the ground shine like it had just rained; the leaves were set with a dark glaze. A scene from a horror film wouldn't be too far from the truth. Ben swallowed down the nausea with disgust.

Alex noticed his gaze drawn to her wound; her mouth twitched.

'That bad - huh?' She asked; a wry smile sketched onto her expression. She seemed to be taking it rather well – and Ben felt an anger build up and make his blood boil. That part was MI6's doing – of course they would change her. Every suicidal mission she would return with more scars and psychological issues. Then she would become more machine like, the human fading like a blown out candle. The light gone.

He sighed, the sound drawn out. He had no reason to sugar-coat it; yet he couldn't stop sorrow leaking and adding to his tone. 'Yes, Alex, it i-' He glanced away slightly, and didn't have time to record her reaction.

Her smile transformed into a grimace. Alex's eyes turned hard with resentment; brown chalk into concrete. 'Don't pity me, Ben!' She literally growled with icy steel; her lips curled back behind her teeth into a part snarl. The force made the two men take a cautious step backwards; Eagle looking especially surprised. ''Cause you know how much I frickin' hate it!' She took a menacing step forwards; her eyes trained to analyze every movement. Ben swallowed hesitantly; not quite able to meet her eyes. The leaves crackled underneath his footsteps; the metallic bloods scent in his nostrils.

'C'mon,' he murmured reaching out to the angry girl; his voice very – well not scared, but nervous – not for him though; like he was nervous for Alex. 'We need to get your leg treated,' but Alex only avoided his hand in comfort; stepping away and not letting the pain show on her pale face. She refused to be touched by anyone. It was strange how abruptly her moods change; pity was not a good thing to show around her; she was too independent.

'I'm fine, Ben' she spoke through gritted teeth; as if she was frustrated with his concern. Ben was only more thoroughly irritated. His left eye twitched.

'You need to-'

'No! I'm fine – 'Flickering eyes locked together in a battle of pure will.

'But y-'

'Yes! I – '

'Shut up!' Eagle roared; his blood hot to the point of boiling this molten lava. His eyes were like blazes of fire; face cold. His lips were twisted into a grimace. Alex and Ben fell into silence; deep breaths could be heard from both of them. Swirls made in the air by their breath; which was warmer than the temperature outside. Only Alex could meet his hard green eyes.

'What, Eagle?' She said softly; her eyes trained on his. The colours of spiky grass versus hard mud. He took a sharp breathe - making his chest shudder slightly – and his gaze turned into a less hostile one. But power could be felt from his aura; Alex's senses were alive for many reasons.

'We are going back the cabin, Cub.' He seethed hands clenching and un-clenching at his sides; his body showed intimidation. But, Alex remained unfazed; yet the fight seemed to have evaporated like steam into the air.

'Fine,' she whispered climbing unsteadily to her feet; she was visibly shaking and her veins stuck out like a flaming candles. 'Let's go.' She tried to walk a few steps but stumbled. She was in pain; and Ben and Eagle were one-hundred-percent positive of it.

They exchanged a blank look. The wind whistled like a siren; echoing across the valley.

Eagle's eyes locked with the black haired man and pleaded for forgiveness; but only received a confused look in return. He glanced wearily over at the girl and stood, and – despite her protests – walked over to Alex, whose face was etched into unpleasant pain. He grinned - a feral grin - and lifted her up into his arms. She struggled weakly for a few seconds than seemed to sink and mould into his chest. She sighed, a mixture of relief and exasperation. Ben was watching in the shadows; face masked.

'Just a precaution,' he murmured as he shifted her mass into a more comfortable position. The leaves crunched as he moved. Even in her unaware state, Alex deemed this as an appropriate answer.

'I'll believe you this one time, Eagle. But just this time, okay?' Eagle analyzed her mask; knowing that what was held there was intensely significant. Ben shifted his gaze away from the two, acting as a lookout.

'Good,' he smiled and they started the long trek back towards camp, the wind whistling like chime bells and the gravel hard against their feet.

But, one thing for sure, was she wasn't looking forward to interrogation time; Military style.

XxXxXxXxX

The door closed and in stepped a bloodied, limping girl with rats tails matted with blood and adorned with twigs form the forest floor.

K-units breathes became very uneven as the girl turned her head around slowly, tired eyes surveying them like a hawk would its prey.


End file.
